FROM the sixth to the sixteenth century the intellectual life
of the Latin Church passed through a period of decadence,
followed by a revival, the principal stages of which are the
Carolingian restoration, the philosophical advance of the
twelfth century, and the Renaissance.

Decadence prevailed everywhere, but not everywhere at
one time. Ireland had no acquaintance with it until the
middle of the ninth century. Up to that time the Irish
monks read the Latin authors, cultivated poetry, had a
smattering of Greek, and copied manuscripts. For some
time they were not the only possessors of literary culture.
Across the channel, the Celtic monks of Great Britain,
according to Gildas, also had literary tastes. But even then
the superiority of Ireland was not disputed. In the sixth
century the Gallic monk Cadoc went to Lismore (to-day,
Waterford, in the south of Ireland) to seek what his
biographer called "the perfection of the knowledge of the
West." ¹ But at this time the Anglo-Saxon invasion began
the destructive work which it was gradually to complete.
In the seventh century the Celtic monks of Great Britain,
driven into Wales, had not the necessary leisure to devote
themselves to study. Thus the Irish monks had a monopoly
of intellectual culture. Furthermore, when the Anglo-

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